Israel’s prime minister accused Iran of exporting terrorism “with abandon” on
Thursday after Thailand alleged that four Iranian citizens based in Bangkok
had planned to kill Israeli diplomats.

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The three men suspected of being involved in three blasts in BangkokPhoto: Reuters

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The burning wreckage of the Israeli embassy car after the explosion in New Delhi Photo: AFP/Getty Images

By Ian MacKinnon, in Bangkok and David Blair

11:06AM GMT 16 Feb 2012

Benjamin Netanyahu called Iran the “most irresponsible power on Earth” after more details emerged about the accidental explosions in Bangkok linked to a group of Iranians.

Thai police believe the three men and one woman were aiming to kill two Israeli diplomats in the city. They allegedly planned to attach “sticky” bombs to vehicles carrying their targets — the same modus operandi used to kill several nuclear scientists in Tehran, allegedly by Israeli agents.

General Prewpan Dhamapong, the Thai police chief, said he knew “for certain that [the intended target] was Israeli diplomats. The issue was about individuals and the targets were specific. This was something personal”.

Four individuals have been named in connection with the alleged plot.

Saeid Morati, a 28-year-old Iranian, and Mohammad Khazaei, 42, are in custody in Bangkok. They fled a two-storey house in a quiet cul-de-sac after an explosion blew off part of the roof.

But Morati had been injured and was bleeding when he flagged down a taxi driver, who refused the fare because of his condition.

Morati threw a grenade at the taxi and then another at pursuing police, but the weapon landed at his feet and blew off his legs.

Masoud Sedaghat Zadeh, a 31-year-old Iranian, also fled the house, managing to escape from Bangkok to Malaysia, where he was arrested in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday while trying to board a flight to Tehran. He is now the subject of extradition proceedings. Leila Rohani, another Iranian who rented the house in the Thai capital, is believed to have fled to Tehran.

Police discovered two radio sets packed with C-4 explosives, along with magnets that could have been used to attach the devices to vehicles, similar to those used in two assassination attempts against Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia earlier this week. “The type of improvised devices they used were the same [as those in India and Georgia]”, said General Prewpan.

During an official visit to Cyprus, Mr Netanyahu said that Iran was a country that “exports terror with abandon, is murdering people and breaking all the rules”. Recalling the hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran after the Islamic revolution of 1979, Mr Netanyahu added: “This regime was born taking over an embassy, it’s now attacking diplomats far and wide.”